Oscar Piastri has admitted that the independence he developed after leaving Australia as a teenager is a habit he sometimes struggles to let go of, even with the support network around him at McLaren.
The Australian driver, who won Formula 2 and Formula 3 titles before joining Formula 1, told Mirror Sport that moving halfway across the globe forced him to adapt and problem solve on his own. He now recognises that this self-reliance can be a double-edged sword within a team environment.
Learning to rely on others
"It definitely taught me a lot, I had to learn to do a lot of things myself and problem solve. In some ways that's definitely helped, but in other ways I almost rely on that independence too much. Especially in a team with so many people, I sometimes need reminding that I've got a lot of help to achieve what I want to achieve," Piastri said.
He added: "But in the grand scheme of things its definitely taught me a lot of life lessons and experiences that have been helpful. I think what the Aussies and anyone outside of Europe has is that shared experience of having to leave home and sacrifice something to go and chase our dreams."
McLaren have won successive Constructors' titles for the first time in 34 years, with Piastri and world champion Lando Norris leading the team. The British outfit have become a formidable force under Zak Brown's leadership.
Chasing a home victory
Piastri came close to the world championship last season, winning seven races and finishing third in the standings as the title fight went down to the final race in Abu Dhabi. Australia has not boasted an F1 world champion since Alan Jones in 1980.
Asked about his ambitions of winning in Melbourne, his hometown, Piastri said: "Definitely towards the top. I think a championship is the only thing above that, but it would be very cool to do that. Obviously we've not had a whole lot of success as Australians for a while now. For me even to step on the podium would be good first step, but to win it would be awesome."
Piastri recalled a memorable moment at Silverstone in 2023, when McLaren were first genuinely competitive. Norris finished second behind Max Verstappen, recording the team's first podium of the year, while Piastri came home fourth in what was then his best F1 finish.
Fan support and the Mexico race
Despite Norris being the home favourite, Piastri was surprised to hear fans chanting his name at the fan stage after the race. He said: "Obviously having Lando as a teammate, who is a Brit, there's always the potential for it to be the Brits vs the Aussies but honestly one of my most memorable moments in F1 was when we raced there in 2023.
"It was the first weekend when we were genuinely competitive and I remember we went to the fan stage after. I was a bit unlucky to miss out on a podium, but the fans chanted my name, and I wasn't expecting that at all. Lando had just finished on the podium and was the Brit in the team so it was really cool to experience that."
This weekend in Mexico, which returned to the F1 calendar in 2015 after a 23-year absence, Piastri will race in a specially designed livery as part of McLaren's partnership with sponsor VELO. He will look to secure a tenth career win and his first of the season.
Piastri praised the team's connection with fans, saying: "I think we have a great connection with our fans, and the best fanbase out there. I've listened to Zak Brown deliver talks about many things, and one of the biggest things he wanted when he first joined was listening to the fans more and having them involved."
VELO's Fandom campaign surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about the lengths fans will go to attend an F1 race. One in five said they would reschedule their holiday for a race, just over a quarter said they would cancel anniversary plans, and almost 40 percent admitted they had avoided a friend's birthday to watch a race. The 'Livery of Dreams' design brings fan dreams onto the grid in Mexico.
